Air-ship and aeroplane.



E. J. LESTER & W. G. BEST.

AIR. SHIP AND AEROPLANE.

rum-r191: nun) rm. 2a, 1900 Patented J an. 18, 191.6

w/ r/vrssers Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E J. LESTER (S2 W. G. BEST. AIR SHIP AND AERUPLANE.

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MR. SHIP AND AEBOPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 2a 1909 Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

3 SHBBTS SHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN JOSEPH LESTER AND WILL! GEORGE BEST, OF CLLPHAM, ENGLAND.

AID-SHIP AND AEBOPLANE.

Specification of Letters latent Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed February 23, 1909. Serial Ru. 479,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Enwix Jossrn Lasrrn and WILLIAM Gconor: Bns'r,subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing ut (.lupham,in the county of Surrey, England, have invented new and useful Improreinents in and Relating to Air-Ships and Aeroplanes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to means for propelling, raising, lowering andsteering airships and aeroplanes, and consists of improvements in thattype of mechanism in which use is made of fans or paddle wheelscontained within rotatable casings provided with sector-shaped openings.

According to our invention we provide the car of un airship or aeroplanewith two or more pairs of fans or paddle wheels which are containedwithin rotatable casin s pro vided with sector-shaped o enings. econtrol movement of the airs ip or aeroplane in all directions bysuitably adjusting the positions of the openings in the airs of casingsand efiect steering by swire ing the fans and casings.

By means of our invention we are able by suitably adjusting theposit-ions of the openings in the casings not only to reverse thedirection of movement of an airship without reversing the motor but alsoto cause it to rise and fall at will. Further in the case of an airshipprovided with a gas bag the car is always in a horizontal position andthe airship will rise and fall vertically. Moreover the ballast whichhas in the case of other air-ships to be carried and discharged when theairship has to rise is dispensed with and the amount of gas in the gasbag is practically alwa s the some as it is not necessary to allow it toescape when the airship has to full, rising, and falling of the airshipin our case being effected by altering the positions of the openings inthe casings.

In car ing out our invention we provide the car 0 an airship or corn)lnnv with two or more pairs of fans or pad le wheels each of which hasfour or more blades. Said blades are secured to the outer peripheries ofdrums, and the blades and drums closely fit the interiors of rotatablecasings, the spaces intervening between the poriphoriis of the drum andthe interiors of the casings forming uir chambers. Sector-shaped omiryrs, preferably extending along one llld o their circumferences, aremade in the cusings to allow of the entrance and expulsion of the air.The pairs of casings are moved so as to var the positions of theiropenings, and thus etermine the direction of the movement of the airshipor aeroplane, and the drums and casings are swiveled,so as to effectturni by any suitable mechanism, which is pre erably constructed in themanner hereinafter described.

In order that our invention may be thoroughly undeistood we will nowrefer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the application thereof.

Figure l is a side elevation and Fi 2 is a plan illustrutin ourinvention app led to the car of an airs ip. Fig. 3 is a part section andpart elevation showing, on an enlarged scale, an arrangement of jointsand other parts which we have devised for the purpose of enabling thepairs of fans or paddle wheels to be driven, the fans or paddle wheelsand their casings to be simultaneously swiveled and the casin s to bemoved around the fans or paddle w eels ac cording to the desireddirection of movement. Figs. 4 to 11 are diagrams showing the positionsto which the cast are simultaneously rotated accordingi to t c directionof movement required, the utter being indicated by the arrows at thecenters of the figures.

According to our invention we provide the car 1 with two or more pairsof fans or paddle wheels, each of which fans or wheels consists of adrum 2 and :lour or more blades 3, which closely lit the interiors ofrotatable casings 4. The casings 4 are pro vided with sector-shapedopenings 4, which act as inlets and outlets for the part-annular spacesor chambers intervening between the pfil'llllN'llPS of the drums and theinteriors of t \e casings. Said o wnings l, which are preferably of theshape shown, extend along one thirr of the rircumfcrcnws of thecusinlgs. \Vhen two pairs of fans or puddle w tools are employed, asshown, the openings 4' in the casings of the two pairs of fans or wheelsare. preferably arranged so as to face opposite ways so as to preventthe currents of uir prmluccd by one pair of fans or wheels interferingwith those. produced by the other pair. The shafts Stl) orting the fansor puddle wlu-cls nro divu cd into three parts, a central port 5 and twoouter purls 6. 'I'hc central parts 5 are connected at their fllilll'ends in the outer portions 6 of the shall by means of universal joints7. The fans or paddle wheels are driven by means of a suitable motor 8,driving connection between the motor 8 and the central parts 5 of theshafts of the fans or addle wheels being attracted by any suitab emeans, such as a fian ed or grooved alley 9 fixed to the sha of themotor, bolts 10 and 10', and pulleys 11 secured to the central arts 5 ofsaid shafts. When the openings in the easings are arranged in the mannerdescribed above and shown on the drawin 0 en and crossed belts 10 and10' are used? The casings 4 are secured to the outer ends of sleeves 12which are arranged so as to rotate within swiveling arms 13. Theswiveling arms 13 are supported in bearings 14 carried by the frameworkof the car and are provided with steering arms 15. The steering arms 15of each pair of wheels are connected together by means of rods 16 whichare simultaneously actuated, so as to swivel the casings 4, by anysuitable arrangement such as that shown in Fi 1 and 2, where 17 is asteering wheel w ich actuates an arm 18 connected by suitable cords 19to arms 16' on the rods 16.

To enable the casings =1 to be simultaneously rotated to an ual extentaround the fans or paddle wheii l s we prefer to use the followingconstruction and arrangement of parts. The inner ends of the sleeves 12are secured to the movable parts 20 of swiveling joints the other orrelatively fixed portions 21 of which are connected by arms 22 to chainwheels 23. The chain wheels 23 are carried by bushings 24, which serveas sup ports for the outer ends of the central parts 5 of the shaftscarrying the fans or paddle wheels. The chain wheels 23 may either r0-tate on the bushin 24, in which case the latter would be fix to theframe of the car, or the wheels may be secured to the bushings, whichwould then rotate in hearings provided in the frame of the car. TheClltllll wheels 23 are connected to and the casin s 4 are rotated by anysuitable means within easy reach of the occupant of the car. Such meansmay consist, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of a wheel 25 fixed to ahorizontal shaft 26, the rotation of which is transmitted to the chainwheels 23 by means of the chain wheels 27 and ion ths of chain 25engaging the chain whees 27 and cminectvd )3 wire ropes 29 to similarlengths of chain 30 en ging with the chain wheels 23. Saltable eviccs,not shown, are provided for lcee ing the chains taut, such as turn bucles and eyes.

Instead of using chain wheels as above described flanged pulleys andwire ropes, fastened at one point to said )ulle vs, may be employed.Again, instead 01 forming the fans or paddle wheels of blades secured tothe peripheries of drums, as shown in tindrawings, each fan or wheel mayconsist of blades secured to the ed e of a disk. the central portions ofthe si es of the casings being carried inward to form the part-annularair spaces or chambers above referred to.

Figs. 4 to 11 show the positions to which the openings in the casingsmust be rotated in order to move the airship or aeroplane in thedirections indicated by the central arrows.

Having now described our invention what we have discovered and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- 1. In airships andaeroplanes, provided with mechanism of the type specified herein, meansfor efi'ecting the propulsion, raising and lowerin thereof consistin offans or paddle whefis connected toget 1er in pairs and contained withincasin sector-shaped openings an simultaneously rotated to an equalextent, substantially as described herein.

2. In airshjps and aeroplanes )lOVltlUtl with mechanism of the typespeciiie herein, means for eti'ectin the propulsion, raising. loweringand steering thereof consisting of fans or paddle wheels connectedtogether in pairs an contained within casings )rovided with sector-shaed openings and a opted to be simultaneous y rotated and also swivels-d,substantially as described herein.

3. In airships and aeroplanes, rovided with mechanism of the typespecifies herein, the combination of fans or paddle wheels connectedtogether in pairs, coupled to the central portions of their shafts bymeans of universal joints and supported at their outer ends withinswiveling arms connected together in pairs, casings surroundin" the fansor paddle wheels, provided wit) sectorshaped openin s, adapted to swivelwith the fans or paddi wheels and to be rotated around the latter, andmeans for rotntingthe casin 's and means for swiveling the fans or padde wheels and the casings. substantialtv as described herein.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDVIN Jt )SEIH LESTER. WILLIAM GEORGE BEST. Witnesses:

)nannns Furrcnnn Plums, Pnnor Wmunv/mn.

provided with adapted to be

